What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31 NLT
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 NLT
Think about what favor means in everyday life. On a friend/loved-one level, we know that if we have favor with a particular person, they are rooting for us. They want us to win. In celebrity circles, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are known to be great friends. Recently in an interview with a late-night host, the two men were asked what it means to say they are great friends. They agreed, “It means we always root for each other. We unequivocally want the other one to win.” Reynolds went on to say that this is true in marriage as well; that the secret to his strong marriage is that they are always on each other’s side, pushing for their success. Then,
politically, we know that when a politician says he or she favors a policy or a person, it means they are throwing their influence and resources behind helping that person or policy succeed.
Favor with God is much the same. When we have God’s favor, He is FOR us. He is on our side. He is rooting for us to win, cheering us on. We enjoy His pleasure and pride. That’s encouraging enough in itself, but there’s more. When we experience the favor of God, the almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe, He throws His incomparable influence and resources behind us. We receive support and blessing beyond anything we could do for ourselves.
In complete wonderment, Paul said, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” He experienced the amazing truth that the favor of God dismantled the power of anyone who was against him. His enemies could rant and threaten, but in the end, he would still be standing in victory because God was on his side. God was FOR him. He is for you and me as well.
He proves He is for us by more than rooting for us and cheering us on, though – as wonderful as that is. He enables and empowers us to do the very things that increase His favor in our lives. He works in the outside circumstances, of course, but He even works within us, helping us at the root of our problem. Once we have committed that we will do His will even when we don’t want to or know how we will ever accomplish it, He goes to work increasing our desire to do what pleases Him and then gives us the power to do it. That’s the cycle of favor and blessing that just keeps increasing.
There will come a day when the evidence of God’s favor on you will become one of the defining characteristics of your life. What joy and satisfaction!
- Oh, how I need God’s favor in my life! Jesus, help me make a “no-turning-back commitment” to pursuing Your favor.